Chapter 2. The Neuroscience Behind Emotional Intelligence

In this chapter, we will learn the basics of neuroscience behind the most important competencies of emotional intelligence. You cannot master the EI competencies without mastering the basic knowledge behind them. To know how the brain processes our emotional data it is important to understand the role of emotions in self-awareness, self-control, changing behavior and defeating thoughts, managing stress, improving decision-making, and building strong and meaningful relationships. We will cover:

• The three functional brains
• Emotions and the emotional brain:
  • Neuroscience behind decision making
  • Neuroscience behind mindfulness
  • Neuroscience behind gratitude
  • Neuroscience behind empathy

Emotions are not just a matter of the heart, they are also a result of brain biochemistry--this is the conclusion from neuroscience, medicine, psychology, and management. Neuroscientists believe that the control center of emotions in the brain is the limbic system...

The three functional brains

Understanding the basic neuroscience of how our brain works helps to faster understand and develop the skills of emotional intelligence. For this reason, we are going to look to the brain model formulated in 1966, by the neuroscientist Paul D. MacLean - the triune brain. Although, this model is a highly simplified explanation of brain activity and organization, it provides an easy-to-understand approximation of the hierarchy of the brain functions.

In 1990, in his book The Triune Brain in Evolution--MacLean look to the evolutionary theory to describe the brain in terms of three distinct structures that emerged during the evolution of the human body. The primitive brain was the first brain layer to emerge, followed by the emotional brain (limbic system) and the rational brain (cerebrum). The following figure shows us the structure of the triune brain:

The triune brain

The primitive brain

The primitive brain, also known as the reptilian brain was the first one to emerge...

Emotions and the emotional brain

Why call it the emotional brain? Because neuroscientists have shown that emotions are not just a matter of the heart they are also a result of brain biochemistry, thus they named the limbic system the emotional brain. The emotional brain/limbic system stores every emotional experience we have from the first moments of life, long before we acquire the verbal or higher thinking abilities to put them into words. It is like this big warehouse of feelings and impressions that provides a context or meaning for those memories. Traditionally, neuroscientists defended that messages were transmitted to the brain by neurons, traveling through an electrical transmission system. However, in the 70s scientists discovered that our bodies also contain a chemical system for transmitting messages. This system is based on chemicals called peptides, which have receptors in every cell of our bodies. These highly sensitive information substances are thought to be the chemical...

Summary

In this chapter, we covered how the three most important layers of the brain work together in managing our rational and emotional data to help you master the basics of neuroscience.

You have learned the triune brain model to understand the hierarchy of the brain functions, such as the primitive brain, a.k.a reptilian brain--it is the guardian of our survival its goal is to make sure we stay alive and reproduce. Also the limbic system a.k.a emotional brain is the chain of warehouses where our emotional memories are stored, which helps us to learn from our past experiences. And finally the cerebrum a.k.a neocortex is our executive brain with functions related to thinking and language: planning, questioning, making decisions, solving problems, and generating new ideas.

You have learned that all your memories, since you were born are stored in the limbic system to help you make decisions throughout your whole life and providing you with the context and meaning for your emotional triggers...